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Friday, December 2, 2011

The Happiest Time of
the Year?Life Coach Gives Tips for
Surviving Less Than Perfect Holidays

For all the promise of joy, peace and harmony that comes
with the holiday season, the reality for millions of people is that the season
is anything but a celebration. For many, it’s a reminder of lost loved ones,
personal disappointments and dreams left unfulfilled.But for life coach Teri Johnson, whose personal journey through an
imperfect life now inspires others to reach for the lives they’ve always wanted,
the negative “nevers” of the disappointing hand life may have dealt you is where
the healing starts. By confronting a never-ending and unproductive cycle of
negativity, the elusive joy of the holiday season can be found not just now but
every day of the year, says Johnson, author of the newly released book,
Overcoming the Nevers (www.overcomingthenevers.com).“You never thought you’d get
divorced, but you did. You never dreamed you would find yourself in an abusive
relationship, but you are. You never thought you would need to lose 200 pounds,
but you do. And you never thought you’d be 45 years old without a job, losing
your home and drowning in debt, but you are,” says Johnson.“We start to believe lies about ourselves, such as “I’m not good
enough” or “I’m undeserving.” We escape our pain and these toxic feelings
into unhealthy behaviors and addictions. There is freedom from the
struggle; there is hope in discovering the truth; there is a way to fall in love
with who we are to experience a joy-filled season, and more importantly a
joy-filled life.”Johnson’s tools for overcoming
the “nevers” that drag many down during the holiday season are:

• Acceptance: Do you have the strength to
make the changes necessary to turn a situation around through an attitude of
acceptance? Or will you remain powerless, remain in the state of
non-acceptance and let everything around you dictate how you feel? The journey
starts with accepting that you can’t change others, but you do have power over
your own life.• Surrender: What we surrender ourselves
to ultimately becomes our god, what we turn to or upon which we rely.
The question then is: What are we surrendered to? Is it something firm, solid
and long-lasting or something that hurts us in the end?• Joyfulness: Hold tight to your unique
gifts and talents to enrich your own life and impact the lives of those around
you. Build on what you’re good at, what makes you special and what makes you
feel good about yourself.• Discovery: Confronting the truth about
who we are deep inside helps us overcome our painful past and discover the
basis for those “nevers.”• Faith: Until we accept love for
ourselves from God, from others and towards others, the healing will not
begin. Embracing love is an ongoing process that starts with learning to like
yourself and with a willingness to accept your
imperfections.

Johnson advises that the process of confronting internal
struggles and the “nevers” of life isn’t easy, but no treatment program, no diet
and no New Year’s resolution can be successful without breaking down the essence
of individual struggles and making the necessary adjustments to attain the life
you deserve.“If the life you are living is full
of unacceptable and disappointing things and you don’t want to spend another
year like this, the only thing holding you back right now is your own confusion,
self-doubt and anger,” she says. “You don’t have
to keep doing what you’re doing or feeling what you’re feeling, but you do need
to come to terms with yourself and surrender yourself to faith that there is a
better way.”

About Teri Johnson

Teri Johnson is a writer, speaker and personal growth expert
who is the founder and President of Keeping it Personal. Having struggled with
alcohol addiction and destructive habits herself, the Minnesota native turned
her own experiences in overcoming obstacles to personal fulfillment into a
client-focused service that has transformed the lives of many. Now a
devoted wife and mother of two sons, she now devotes her life to helping others
find their path to success and happiness while shedding destructive thoughts and
behaviors.If you would like to run the above
article, please feel free to do so. I am able to provide images if you would
like some to accompany it. If you’re interested in interviewing Teri
Johnson for a feature/Q&A or having her write an exclusive article
for you, let me know and I’ll gladly work out details. Lastly, please let me
know if you’d be interested in receiving a copy of her book, Overcoming
the Nevers, for possible review.

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